Railway signal torpedo



Feb. 2, 1932.- F. DUTCHER RAILWAY SIGNAL: TORPEDO Filed May 8, 1951 inventor (Ittorneg Patentecl Feb. 2, 1932 raiasu FRANK DUTGHER, OI .ROGERS, OHIO RAILWAY SIGNAL 'ronrnno Application filed May 8, 1931. Serial No. 5136, 056.

This invention relates to improvements 'in' railway signal torpedoes which will be pointed out hereinafter; v

It is well understood by those skilled in 5 this art that railway signal torpedoes are attached to thehead of a railroad rail and it is also well known that in some instances a spring metal strap for holding the torpedo to the head of the rail is used and in other instances a lead strap is attached to a torpedo for holding it on the head of a railroadrail.

This invention relates to that class of railway signal torpedoes in which the explosive compound is of tablet form which is wrapped in a rectangular sheet of water-proofed material such as paper, fibre etc. and in whlch the wrapping when completed has its ends extending from the explosive contained therein.

One object of the present invention is to so construct the torpedo when completed that these ends of the explosive containing case are united to a platein such a way that a closing tension is at all times exerted on the ends of this case whereby water is prevented from entering the case and thereby reach the said explosive and without the use of cement. As is well known to those skilled in this art in torpedoes as now manufactured they are made water-proof by closing the case with a suitable cement composition. This involves considerable apparatus and it therefore involves expense. By the use of the present invention this expense is obviated and the uncertainty of'cement is also avoided.

This is avoided in the present construction by maintaining at all times a closing tension on the extended ends of the case containing the'explosive which tension prevents the ac- 40 cess of water through the ends of the case and to the explosive. e

A further object of the present invention is to produce a torpedo when completed that will receive either a spring holding member or a lead strap holding member.

Morespecifically however a further object of the invention is to construct a certain form of spring whereby the ends of the spring are united to the under part of the case so that these ends do not materially instiff fibre and in other cases is composed of terfere with the packing and shipping of thetorpedoes which is true of the ordinary spring holding clips heretofore used.

- A further ob -ect of the present invention'is to makethis springin two parts whereby cer- 5 tain advantages pointed out hereinafter are accomplished.

A further object of my present invention is to so construct the spring that a further saving in the manufacture of the torpedo is accomplished as will be pointed out herelnafter. 1 In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of a torpedo involving the present improvement the torpedo being shown in full size and the spring clip having its ends in closed positions.

Figure2 is a perspective view of Figure '1. Figure 3 is a detached perspective view of an improved plate applied to the bottom of the torpedo case.

Figure 4 is a bottom perspectiveview of this plate-showing the holding spring mad in two parts and attached thereto.

Figure 5 is a bottom perspective view of said plate showing the holding spring made in one piece.

' Figure 6 is a bottom plan view showing the plate so constructed that it is adapted not only to hold the spring clip in position but to unite 3 a lead strap thereto.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view on the line 77 of Figure 6. p

Referring now to the accompanying'drawings, 1- is a suitable case having wrapped therein an explosivetablet (not shown) said W tablet being preferably rectangular in shape. The said tablet andthe easel are well known to this art. One of the present improve-' ments is to so form a plate that it serves to 9 unite this case to the plate and at the'same time it serves by reason of its special construction to close its ends 2 so that-water or. moisture cannot reach the said explosive tablet. As is usual in this art this case or wrapping l is composed of water-proofed material such as paper, fibre etc. f

The plate 3 by which the above result is accomplished, in some cases is composed of a til) thin metal. Attention is particularly direct ed to the fact that this plate is provided with longitudinal slot-s & and 5 and that the surface of the plate transversely throughout is made in one single plane, the function of which will be presently stated. In applying the case 1 to the plate 3 one of its ends 2 is inserted upwardly through the slot 5 and then the case 1 is folded over the said plate 3 and the opposite end of the case passed upward through the slot l at the opposite side of the said plate and the extremities G and 7 of the ends 2 lie between the body of the casing l and the plate 3. In order to facilitate the placing of the extremity 7 through the said slot t and into the position shown I use a spatula 8 which has its inner end placed in the position shown whereby the extremity 7 of this case can be passed through the slot 4- and into the position shown.

It will also be observed that in this construction of parts that the extremities 6 and 7 are placed under constant tension and the ends 6 and 7 are constantly closed by this closing tension and at the same time the doubling over of the case 1 puts tension on the left hand side of the end 2 thereby closing it and then when the extremity 7 is passed through the slot 4 as described that end is placed under tension so that the closing is united to the plate 3 and the ends 2 andextremities 6 and 7 are placed under a constantly acting closing tension which is necessary in order to make the case water-tight.

The records of patents obtained by me in the Patent Oflice show that I have had years of experience in the building of railway tor pedoes and to my knowledge I am the first to ever construct a torpedo to cause a constantly closing tension on the ends of a torpedo case in the manner here shown whereby the necessity of using any cement for closing its ends constantly is avoided. This cheapens the production of the torpedo and it reduces the cost of apparatus for the manufacture of cement that has to be applied in a heated condition.

Another feature of the present invention is that this case is not only held with its ends closed water-tight but this tension also serves to firmly unite the casein position and to hold it against accidental detachment from the said plate. This acts as an automatic locking device for the ends of the case and at the same time acts as means constantly acting to close the ends of the case water-tight.

The plate constructed as above described is adapted to have attached to in any suitable manner either a spring or a lead strap holding member.

In Figures 1, 2, l and 5 I show an improved spring member for holding the torpedo on the head of a railroad rail. In Figure 4L the spring is composed of two members 9 which have their ends connected with the ends 10 of the plate 3 preferably by riveting as shown at 11. When this two piece form of spring is utilized one end 12 of each spring 9 is bent as shown. while the other end 13 of the spring member 9 is bent as shown at 13. By means of this construction the ends of the spring members can be closed by inserting the end 12 under the end .13. The object of this is to reduce space for shipping purposes as compared with the well known springs now in use. Since a torpedo capable of having the ends of the spring closed as just described requires about half the amount of space of the well known spring and since it is necessary that these explosives be shipped as special fireworks as the law requires it is a saving in the space occupied by the torpedoes. A. torpedo coupled with springs as herein described is a saving of about fifty percent in freight or express.

In the ordinary spring attaching members for torpedoes it is composed of metal that is about four-hundredths of an inch thick. This thickness is necessary when the metal is made of spring metal. In making these spring metal clips it is necessary that they be carried through a certain process which adds further expense to the torpedo. In the spring utilized in my torpedo it is composed of very thin metal about one-hundredth of an inch thick and the metal is not tempered 0r hardened as is the case with the usual springs used for this purpose. The springs used are first formed up before the metal is tempered, and afterwards tempered and this spring is one that is in common use by railroads today. So far as I am informed that is the only type of spring holding members in use today. My spring consists of the very thin metal described, for instance brass or bronze that can be bought in strips that contains the proper spring characteristics. These two metals can afterwards be bent to any desired form. In my springs here shown it is only necessary to buy this strip metal and cut it off in suitable lengths and bend the ends of the springs in. the manner defined. These springs will be usually of substantially the width herein shown though the width may be increased if it is desired to increase its holding tension.

In Figure 6 the plate 3 has struck up therefrom suitable lugs 14 that are adapted to attach a lead strap 15 thereto, or adapted to unite either the two piece or the one piece springinetal for holding the torpedo to the head of a railroad rail.

By reference to Figure 5 it will be ob served that the spring 9 is made of a continuous piece and has the portion 16 struck downwardly thus making a clip for the engagement with the projections 12 on the extremities of the springs 9.

This torpedo is so formed that when it explodes there is no flying of parts that are capable of injuring persons standing near since the explosive is wholly above the plate 10 and the springs 9. V

While I have explained the invention in considerable detail I desire it understood that it may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention so long as such changes come within a liberal'interp'retation of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An improved torpedo comprising a casing containing an explosive, said casing having extended ends, a plate having parallel slots said plate lying entirely in one horizontal plane, the ends of the casing passing through the said slots and held under constantly acting tension due to the formation of the plate.

2. A torpedo comprising an explosive compound wrapped in a sheet of water-proofed material with its wrapped ends extending from the case, a straight plate having parallel slots, the extended ends passing around the outer edges of the plate and their extremities passed upward through the said straight portion of the said plate whereby the ends are subjected to a constantly closing tension caused by the straight formation of the said plate in the manner described.

3. An improved torpedo comprising a casing containing an explosive compound, a plate applied to said casing, and spring members having their inner ends attached to the said plate and their outer free ends adapted to be detachably connected at the under side.

of said plate, for the purpose set forth.

4:. An improved torpedo comprising a casing containing an explosive, a plate applied to the said explosive having extended ends, spring members connected to the extended ends the extremities of the spring members constructed to detachably interlock, for the purpose set forth.

5. A torpedo comprising an explosive compound wrapped in a sheet, said casing when completed having. the ends of the said sheet extended, a straight plate having parallel openings through which said extremities pass 7 thus unlting the plate and said case and a holding member applied to the said plate adapting it to be attached to the head of a railroad rail, substantially as described. 1

6. An improved torpedo comprisingan explosive compound, a wrapping therefor formmg a casing, said Wrapping having extended ends, a plate provided with parallel slots adapted to receive said extended'ends, said plate being straight thereby exerting a constantly closing tension on the said extending ends between the casing and the said plate and spring members attached to the said plate its ends extended and a spring member attached to the extended ends of the said plate. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

FRANK DUTCHER. 

